In aptly named Flowery Branch, Ga., now the year-round home of the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons used to train two hours up I-85 in Greenville, S.C., but owner Arthur Blank said he wanted this to be Georgia's team, and he wanted Georgians to be able to come to training camp easily. There are 11 million Georgians, approximately, and four million Greater Atlantans, and now they're able to come to the complex of fields at the Falcons' training facility 45 minutes northeast of downtown to watch them train.

FIVE THINGS I THINK1. I think, if I haven't mentioned it before about Jim Mora, that it was fashionable a year ago to say: "The kid's too young. The Falcons really reached for him." Well, Mora's not as much as he's precocious. Really, really smart, and more than ready to be an excellent coach at this level.

2. I think I may have underestimated this team in picking Carolina to win the NFC South. I still like the Panthers, but this could be a really good team -- and the addition of a couple of free-agent linebackers (Edgerton Hartwell and Ike Reese) is going to help on the field and in the locker room, respectively. Hartwell's a beast. I wonder if he'll shine now that he's out of Ray Lewis' shadow.

3. I think, just watching him cover for a half-hour, DeAngelo Hall has a chance to be one of the really good corners in football. He's so smooth, and so confident for a 21-year-old kid.

4. I think the addition of Hartwell and Reese also means the piss-and-vinegar level of the defense has been raised. That defense was maniacal at times this afternoon, much more intense than the offense.

5. I think one of the great things about watching this team practice is the beauty of the ball that Mike Vick throws. Gorgeous pass after gorgeous pass.

FACTOIDThe top four Falcons wide receivers caught a total of 105 passes last year. Talk about your need position. These guys can't wait for first-round wideout Roddy White to end his holdout and get here.

FANTASY GEEK NOTESpeaking of wideouts, you might think: Well, it's not a bad idea in my fantasy draft to pick up Michael Jenkins, last year's first-round pick from Ohio State. Well, problem is he's playing the same side as the perennially disappointing Peerless Price right now, running behind him so far early in camp. And even though Mora moved Jenkins ahead of Price on the depth chart, Mora also said emphatically he was sure this would be the year Price finally justified the heavy price Atlanta paid to get him. Dez White and Brian Finneran are one-two on the other side. Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp told me the best guys will play (what else would he say?) but if I'm drafting wideouts, every Falcon still goes pretty low on my list. I can't see a single one catching 65 balls.

ON THE MENU

Surprisingly good and varied from what I remember about Flowery Branch.

Dessert: Sliced cantaloupe. A little too hard, but melon is always welcome on a broiler of a day in Georgia. B-minus.

Overall grade: On a day like this, I am very pleased with the meal, but I realize because I'm early on my trip I need -- just like the Russian judge in the Olympic skating finals -- to leave some grading room for future camps. B.

CAMP CONFIDENTIALI only had to see Matt Schaub, the backup quarterback to Mike Vick, make one play here to know he's the genuine item.

Early in practice, the second-year kid from Virginia rolled right, looking deep down the right side for Jenkins. In full rollout mode, he uncoiled a throw 37 yards downfield, a perfect strike, a perfect spiral. I mean, one of the prettiest and most accurate deep throws you'd ever want to see.

And Jenkins dropped it. Right in his hands, and he dropped it.

I see GM Rich McKay and ask: "Did any team come at you in the offseason and try to get Schaub?"

Two, he said. But it never got very far, because the Falcons simply won't trade him. Not this year anyway. They're rightfully concerned about Vick being able to play 16 games and the playoffs, and they don't want to give away one of the best young insurance policies in football.

I'll just say this: I would really like to see Matt Schaub play when the real combat starts. He's going to be good.

A few things stick out at me from king's comments.Michael Jenkins better get his act together he won't just be given the starters job.You cannot drop passes and hope to given a job.Second,matt schaub has alot of value and if he plays this year the falcons could get a no1 draft pick for him.I know backup QBs are hard to find but I am sure Schaub doesn't intend to sit on the bench forwever.Deangelo Hall sounds like he is going to be a lock down corner just needs time.The defense is much more intense than the offense.The offense better get its act together or else it will be the falcon's down fall.Mike Vick can throw accurately but can he do it with a rush at him? I wish for once we could bring in at least 2 top notch offensive linemen so we can see if vick can throw the ball instead of always running for his life.

I don't want to be a spoil sport, but I'm not willing yet to jump on the Schaub bandwagon until I really see what he can do in the regular season. His play last year wasn't too exciting. Decent for a rookie, but nothing in it to get me excited.

I say this because I recall Doug Johnson looking sharp in 3 of his 4 summers here (2001-2003). He wasn't amazing, but he always was pretty good, to the point that in two of those summers people were actually bringing up the issue of a QB controversy between he and Vick, because DJ was outplaying him.

So I do think Schaub has the potential to be a quality starter in the NFL, I thought that when he was at UVA, but its so hard to become a quality starting QB in the NFL, that I'll believe it even more when I see a little more from him. See how much strides he makes between now and whenever is the next time he gets a start.

Just reading a few of the other message boards and they mention that White is a receiver that is strong,fast and can jump with good hands.D Hall was covering him and White blew by him on a play giving him some mouth when the play was over.He has some catching up to do but I hope he is the receiver we have needed for a while now.

Yeah, I've been checking out camp reports on other boards too, and I've heard people saying Peerless Price is looking the best he ever has thus far in camp. Not amazing, but noticeably better and sharper. Should make for an interesting battle between him and Jenkins.

In a one-on-one drill Monday with the Atlanta Falcons, Hall thought he had pinned White against the right sideline when the rookie receiver suddenly turned back inside to catch a perfect spiral from quarterback Michael Vick.

"He's going to be something to reckon with in this league, man," Hall said. "I compare him to Larry Fitzgerald without all the hype. I mean what makes a good receiver a great receiver? A lot of people would say your ability to catch the ball. He opened a lot of eyes when he got here."

Hall thinks the Falcons have another elite young player: himself. He wears jersey No. 21, which Deion Sanders made famous as an Atlanta cornerback from 1989-93, for a reason.

"Not to take anything from guys like Dunta Robinson (Clarke Central), who went No. 10, or Chris Gamble, who I played against in college, but I'm a fierce competitor," Hall said.

"I want to be the best. I know Dunta does, too, but to see him go out there and get six picks, some people might say, 'Maybe the Falcons should've drafted someone else.' That's definitely a chip on my shoulder, so I want to go out there and say, 'I wasn't the No. 1 corner by accident.' I really can make plays. I really am the best in my eyes."

Hall struggled at times as a rookie. A small hip fracture forced him to miss the first six games, and by the time he made his first start in Week 8, Hall couldn't help feeling vulnerable.

He finished with just one interception, far from the goal he set in training camp. That lone pick, coming in Week 17 when he knocked down Jerry Rice near the line of scrimmage and stepped forward to intercept Matt Hasselbeck in Seattle, turned into a 17-7 Atlanta lead as Hall ran 48 yards for a touchdown.

At Giants Stadium five weeks earlier, an offside penalty on New York's Luke Petitgout wiped an interception of Eli Manning that would've given Hall a 55-yard touchdown.

"A lot of people say that's the best play that never happened," Hall said. "The Jerry Rice play, that got me feeling like the old D.Hall going into the playoffs. You know, to go out there on a big stage in Seattle, that built me up for the playoffs. I was in full stride."

After winning the NFC South, Atlanta overwhelmed St. Louis in the divisional round of the playoffs as Hall held Torry Holt, who on Jan. 2 became only receiver in league history with five consecutive 1,300-yard seasons, to just two catches for 42 yards.

The Falcons lined up Hall at receiver for one play and used him as decoy on the 68-yard touchdown Allen Rossum scored on a punt return.

Finally, near the end of his rookie season, Hall looked like the multifaceted weapon Atlanta envisioned when it drafted him No. 8 overall. If Hall and his coaches have their way this year, the former Virginia Tech standout will have even more chances to flash his skills.

On Monday, he gave a glimpse of what might happen. White lined up on the same side and ran about 10 yards before braking just enough to make Hall think he would turn left or right. Instead, White sped up and jumped to catch Vick's 40-yard touchdown pass near the front pylon.

Hall caught up so quickly, however, that he had little trouble knocking the ball down. He celebrated by doing two consecutive cartwheels that turned into double back flips in which Hall seemed to have invisible springs in his shoes.

"He has rare athletic ability," head coach Jim Mora said. "He really does. He's fluid. He's like a fish. You know how a fish runs through water? He's just effortless. That's how DeAngelo moves his body. He can do anything."

Just reading this article gives me the hope that D Hall will become an elite corner if not this year than next.He has something to prove since Dunta robinson was all the rave at corner.I also wish that Hall would return punts or at least kickoffs.Speed kills in this league and he would scare alot of teams with his ability.The words about Roddy White from Hall also makes me hope White will be special.Lord knows we have waited a long time for a true big receiver that can also scare defenses.Just think defenses will have headaches trying to stop the falcon offense if they play to there potential.Will see but vick has got to develop at throwing the ball.

Yeah, it seems like they are talking Hall up more this year than they were at the start of last year. His athleticism is well documented, and although I'm not sure he'd work as a kickoff returner (didn't do that at VT), he would make a very good punt returner. But as long as we have Rossum on the team, and with his new contract that would seem to be for a few more years, I'm happy with our return units.

It would be nice if the team can find more ways to integrate Hall on offense. Nothing big, but maybe a handful of plays over the course of the entire season.

One of the things that has really stood out to me is the good reports on the D-Line from Coleman to Lake. They are all performing well and showed as much in the American Bowl. All the rookies got good penetration and sniffed the run fairly well. I think we will be okay with Chauncey Davis filling in for Brady Smith.

But from what I've seen I'm not so sure depth on the D-Line is such an issue. It could hurt us later in the year for pure stamina if Brady Smith is out too long and we lose anyone else.

From their performances vs. the Colts, it would seem guys like Chauncey Davis and others are serviceable. I think we are still going to miss Brady a lot though. But I'll reserve judgement until I see a bit more from these guys. In these upcoming weeks, these guys will face some pretty good LTs like Jon Ogden and Brad Hopkins and then Miami and Jacksonville each have good RTs in Stockar McDougle and Mo Williams. Not to say that Ryan Diem and Tarik Glenn are slouches, but it's only been one game. So although, I've been impressed so far, it doesn't mean they are ready yet.

I read on the Roost forum that Reese is ahead in the battle for the starter job between him and Williams.Does Reese have the ability to play full time? Who is a bigger impact player Reese or Williams?I thought reese was better on coverage but could be wrong.I was hoping Williams would come into his own and be a terror giving the falcons brooking,Hartwell and Williams to make the plays.With the front 4 on the def line will our linebackers get to the QB on blitzes with reese in there?

If Demo is not starting above Reese, I think it really indicates more Demo's weaknesses rather than Ike's strengths.

That's not to say Ike is not a good player, because he is. He's all that you want in a starter, but I don't think he has the great upside that Demo has. He lacks his speed, ability as a pass rusher, and potential in coverage. Reese plays smart and has a well-rounded game.

But I think the Falcons defense has more potential to be dynamic and faster with Demo in the lineup. And I think the coaching staff feels the same way. So if the race is close, even if Ike is ahead slightly, I think the team will put Demo as the starter. But if the gap is significant, then Ike gets the nod.

Even if Demo is having a down pre-season I can't say that is merrit to start a lifelong special teams star. Williams is young and has plenty of development ahead of him as a starter. But Reese is getting old and better suited as an ST only player.

I'd rather see Boley or Beck move over and challange Demp instead of Reese.

I think Boley could really give DeMo a run next year. I think Williams has this thing pretty much sewn up for this season though. His potential is to great to sit him. Even is he doesn't win the job I think we'll rotate them. Reese is just getting to old to play the entire game. If nothing else DeMo played in our nickle package all year last year and he'll get at the least that role this year. Boley and Beck are both gonna be studs though. I have been very impressed with their speed and ability to rush so far.

We could always have a platoon at the Sam Linebacker slot also. Demo seems to be the best as a role player were he comes in solely to rush the passer or play as an extra linebacker in place of an extra DB.

Boley or even Beck could be a better every down linebacker. But if we have three talented linebackers that all can do something very well but none of them excel as an every down linebacker then use them situationally.

The only problem with using a player situationally,is that the other team will soon figure out why that player is in there and take advantage of it

Well the good thing is that WIlliams and Reese both are good enough in all areas to not be used in just 1 or 2 roles. Williams is not as good as Reese when you run at him, but an OC is not going to be determining those types of plays based on where either player lines up on a given play.

I think from their performance this preseason, it sorta shows me that Williams is better as a WILL than BUCK. But as long as Brook is entrenched on the other side, Williams will have to settle for the buck spot. I don't think we'll lose. I think we have 4 good starting caliber LBs, even though I think Williams offers more long term because of his speed and versatility.

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